About Our School

Visible Thinking at Reuther Middle School Over the past three years Reuther Middle School has transitioned into a Culture of Thinking School. Cultures of Thinking is an environment where thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted on a daily basis. It is only by making students' thinking visible that we can begin to understand both what and how our students are learning. By using thinking routines we are able to make thinking more visible and foster a better thinking and learning environment.

Why a Culture of Thinking? The mission of Reuther Middle School is to ensure learning for ALL students. In order to teach effectively and achieve our mission, teachers need to recognize the needs of today’s learners:

Critical Thinking

Effective Communication

Identify Understanding

Collaboration

Curiosity

Evaluate Evidence

Solve Problems

Make Decisions

Analyze Information

"Children grow into the intellectual life around them." - Lev Vygotsky

Harvard Researcher Ron Ritchhart Speaks About Visible Thinking

Ron Ritchhart, Senior Researcher at Harvard Project Zero, was invited to Reuther Middle School on October 28, 2013, to share his Visible Thinking research with our parent community. As Reuther teachers continue to embed thinking routines in their classrooms, it is our hope that parents will encourage additional Visible Thinking discussions at home by using the "9 Apps for Parents" handout as a guideline.

Visible Thinking Snapshots

Parent Apps

DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET

CHALLENGE BUT DON'T RESCUE

WHAT QUESTIONS DID YOU ASK TODAY?

Develop a growth mindset in your child by focusing your praise on process, learning, and effort (You really worked hard on this and have learned a lot. You’ve really developed as a musician.), as opposed to ability (You’re so clever. You’re good at math.)

When your child encounters difficulties, don't jump in to solve the problem and rescue him/her. Instead, ask questions that will help him/her to think through the problem, identify and choose a course of action for moving forward.

Our questions drive us as learners. Instead of asking your child, "Did you learn anything today?" you could say, "Did you ask a good question today?" This will encourage your child to be more invested in the types of questions they ask at school.

FOCUS ON THE LEARNING OVER THE WORK

Learning is the goal of an assignment. Take a moment to ask your child what the purpose of each homework assignment is; what do they think the teacher wants them to learn and get better at as a result. Then monitor the learning not the work.